


In Search of a Family

by FFVI_Stories (Finn_The_Leafman)



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: Different take on Gau meeting his dad, Post Kefka destroying the world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 03:41:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17358266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finn_The_Leafman/pseuds/FFVI_Stories
Summary: After seeing Gau be rejected by his father, Sabin is hit with the realization that Gau needs a family, even if he seems to be doing okay without one.





	1. Chapter 1

Gau approached the house that he didn’t recognize, led by Sabin with Cyan and Shadow in tow. The clothes he had on didn’t fit him, hanging loosely around his arms and ankles. There was a stiff collared coat that poked him in the chin or cheek if he moved his head too much. It was such a deep shade of purple that it was nearly black. A bit of red lace sat on his chest, pinned in place by a yellow jewel. Gau felt uncomfortable in this outfit, but he had be told that he would be meeting his father and he should dress well. Gau didn’t understand why he needed to wear these clothes, but he guessed it was important, which is why he didn’t refuse.

He had this strange feeling as he stepped up to the door with the others. It was fear, but to a lesser degree, not like what he had felt on the Velt when he encountered monsters much bigger and stronger than him. This was a fear of what he didn’t know. He knew what having a father meant, Cyan had explained it to him. Still, as he was ushered inside by the others, he couldn’t help but wonder if his father would like him.

They all filed inside and stood next to each other. Gau on the far left, then Sabin, Cyan, and Shadow. The latter was pointedly staring at the ground, as if he didn’t want to be a part of this scene. Gau now had another opportunity to look at his father. The old man that stood before him had an air that Gau didn’t like, but he also held a sense of faint familiarity. The space around him said more than his looks ever could. Knick-knacks were everywhere, papers absolutely swamped the free spaces in the place and provided a fire hazard to the malfunctioning stove in the corner.

“Excuse me sir.” Sabin started, trying to get the man’s attention.

He squinted at the brawler through his slightly askew glasses. “Who’n the blazes ‘r you?” He spoke in a thick accent. “Oh! the repairman!”

Sabin shook his head and pressed forward with his attempt to get through to the man. “Sir… you had a son… right?” He started, cautiously, “Are you with me?” He wanted to make sure he had the elder’s attention.

“Son?” The man replied in a confused manner. Gau fidgeted with the lining of his coat, obviously uncomfortable. He was closer to the wall than he had been. He felt safer back there.

“Right. The truth is, He’s alive!” Sabin’s tone was joyful, as if revealing some huge surprise, “Come here, Gau”. He looked over to the boy and motioned for him to come forward. He did, with small awkward steps, his eyes never leaving the face of the man who seemed puzzled by his very existence. But when he got to Sabin’s side, he spared a glance at the other party members. Cyan gave him an encouraging smile. As a father himself, he was grateful for the fact that he could help a lost child reunite with his family. Shadow was turned away, seemingly inspecting the bucket in the other corner. Gau’s eyes rested on his father’s face again.

“Fffatherrr…” The word was whimpered softly. Gau never had a family. He didn’t know what to do in this situation.

“What is this!?” The man replied angrily, causing Gau to jump, “What’s with this ‘son’ business? I never had a son!” The man looked furious and Sabin instinctively put a hand in front of Gau in case the man tried something. Gau seemed to shrink, however, the clothes becoming even bigger on him and he wrapped his arms around himself, hunched his back and brought his head down to his shoulders. He glanced at Cyan again, the warrior looked surprised. His attention was caught by the elder speaking once more.

The tale he told proved that he was Gau’s father, and that he didn’t want him. The boy crouched where he sat, tears pricking at his eyes. Faint memories faded in and out of existence in his mind, of the blue sky and fresh grass, the sound of crying… the face of someone… they were gone as soon as they came. He looked up at Sabin, only able to see his back from where he had retreated back near the wall again. The brawler was shaking with barely contained rage. Gau watched as he took a deep breath and let it out.

“Don’t you see? What I’m trying to tell you is that this boy here is the child you abandoned. He’s not a demon, far from it. Gau is kind, smart, and a fast learner! You should be proud of him!” Sabin tried one last time to get through to the man. He just stared at Sabin, confused, as if not all the words had registered in his mind. Then he looked to Gau and his expression twisted into one of rage.

“Demon! How DARE you come back!” He lunged at Gau. The boy let out a sound between a sob and a cry of fear in reaction and stood, pressing himself close against the wall. Sabin acted quickly, moving in front of the boy and taking the hit from the feeble old man himself, it didn’t do much. 

Recovering from the shock of what just happened and blinking away the tears that blurred his vision, Gau looked to his right. Cyan was frozen in a battle pose, sword halfway from it’s sheath, and behind him was Shadow. He also looked like he was ready to defend, two shurikens poised in two fingers of his right hand.

“No, How DARE you!” Sabin yelled in his face, pushing him back so that he landed against the carpet, “He has done nothing but help us during our journey, he is just a kid. How DARE you treat him this way!” The man seemed like he was about to retaliate, but when he saw Cyan and Shadow, he decided against it.

Gau plugged his ears, he couldn’t take the yelling. The entire atmosphere of the room was suffocating him. He had to get out. He made a dash for the doorway and once he was outside, he found the nearest tree and sat with his back against it, sobbing.

Cyan made a move to follow quickly after Gau, but he hesitated. Sabin was still standing there, staring at Gau’s father with anger in his eyes. Cyan offered a simple gesture of a hand on Sabin’s shoulder. “I’m going to go help Gau. Do not do anything you might regret.” and then Cyan was gone.

Shadow pocketed his weapons and followed quietly after, not saying a word. A crazy old man was not worth the time and effort to kill. As soon as he exited the building, he spotted Cyan kneeling next to Gau. The child’s face was a bright red mess, tears fell in a constant stream and he often wiped them off on an oversized sleeve only for more to take their place. 

The assassin leaned against the barrels next to the house, far enough away to listen to the conversation, but not close enough to be a part of it. There was a small bark as Interceptor went to his side. The group had insisted that the dog stay outside, as he might be too intimidating for this situation. Shadow knelt down and patted his dog’s head. As he did, a particularly loud sob escaped from Gau, and it reached some deep part of his heart that he had forgotten was there. The small fragment of his past identity that hadn’t been consumed by darkness. Still, he turned away from the scene. Sabin and Cyan would deal with it. He killed his emotions long ago. He couldn’t afford to care.

Inside the house, the old man struggled to get up, clutching his bed and pulling himself up, only to sit on it. He seemed to be thinking, but then his expression went vacant and he looked to Sabin again, confusion in his voice. “Who are you? Oh, you must be here to fix that blasted stove, It’s just over there” He pointed to it. Sabin just stared. He gave the man a look of disgust and then turned and left the house.

When he got outside, he heard sobs and immediately looked to his left, where the one lone tree was. There, he was met with the sight of Cyan holding Gau tightly in his arms while he let out the grief he felt. Cyan’s expression was one of heartbreak, like he couldn’t bear to see a child suffer this kind of pain. His eyes met Sabins and then he looked down to Gau, patting him lightly on the back.

Sabin approached and kneeled by the pair. Cyan got Gau’s attention and gestured to the other. The boy looked up, eyes still blurred by tears, but he recognized the shape of Sabin. The brawler didn’t know what to do… how could he cheer up this child that had been told he was not wanted by the only family member he has left? Sabin took a big breath and mustered up a small smile for Gau.

“Hey, Who needs his opinion anyway? That man has a few screws loose.” Sabin reached out and took Gau’s hand in his own. It was so small. He ran his thumb gently over the knuckles, “I think you’re pretty great, Cyan does too” The warrior gave a nod of agreement, “Anyone who can’t see that must be crazy.”

Gau listened, but he couldn’t believe what he had been told. “But father… father said..” He hiccuped, tears falling again, “He call me demon. He no want Gau. He..”

“Who cares what he thinks!” Sabin snapped back. Gau instinctively sunk deeper into Cyan’s hold. Sabin closed his eyes and took another deep breath. “What I’m saying is that he’s alone now. If he can’t accept the only family he has, then that’s too bad for him.”

Gau fixated his eyes on the ground, the next words came out as a mumble, “Gau no have family… Gau alone…”

“That is not true.” Sabin instantly replied, “You have us! You don’t need your father.” That line seemed to have struck a chord with Cyan, as he looked away from the two.

“Don’t? But… why this?” Gau held out his arm where a tear stained sleeve sat. He was gesturing to his outfit.

Sabin didn’t really have an answer for that… but he tried to muster up one anyway. “We were… hoping your father would be different.. But now that we know what he’s like… you’d be better off without him.”

“Oh…” was Gau’s only reply, he seemed to be mulling it over in his head, he looked up at Sabin again, “Gau got… you?”

Sabin nodded, “Yes, all of us… we’re like a family of our own…” In particular, Sabin felt a connection to Cyan, and he didn’t always like Gau, but he had a soft spot for the child. Then there was Edgar, his blood brother and closest friend.

Gau had a look of realization on his face, “So… Gau have family… all along?” Sabin just gave a nod, “Me… glad…” He slumped against Cyan, tired from all that crying.

Shadow couldn’t help but be drawn to the scene. He had watched and listened since Sabin had come outside. Family? He had one of those before. Could he possibly have one again? It was an interesting thought to entertain, but not for too long. Soon enough, he gathered himself and approached the group, Interceptor beside him.

“Are we leaving?” He asked, his voice raspy and obviously not used often, “The dog’s getting hungry.” He had also entertained the thought of feeding Gau’s father to Interceptor.

Sabin looked up at Shadow and what he saw was an uncaring assassin. He did not know what facial expression the man held behind the mask. Sabin just assumed this scene didn’t affect him at all.

“So be it” Cyan replied, picking up the sleeping boy in his arms. Sabin stood too, not taking his eyes off the child, “Would’st thou like to hold him?” He offered the child to Sabin and the brawler stepped back.

“I don’t know how to hold a child.” He immediately replied, as if afraid he might hurt the boy. He was a martial artist after all, and Gau was this child that looked far too skinny for his age.

“It’s alright. Hold him like this” He demonstrated the technique before offering him to Sabin again. 

The man reached out and took the boy from Cyan’s arms as if he were made of glass. He cradled Gau in his arms and looked to Cyan before heading toward the ship. He could feel Gau’s heartbeat and hear the tiny whimpers he sometimes let out. One of the boy’s hands had found a handful of Sabin’s shirt.

“No child should have to suffer like this…”

“I agree…” Cyan replied, walking next to the brawler, “and every child needs a father….”

“Gau doesn’t need his…” Sabin’s expression still held some leftover anger, “How could he think of abandoning his child like that? It just makes me…” Gau let out a sharp wimper in his sleep and that’s when Sabin realized that he had tightened his grip on the boy, he immediately loosened it.

“It makes thou upset, dost it not?” Cyan started walking slowly beside Sabin as the pair headed to the airship. The brawler just gave a small nod, “Tis a shame…” He trailed off there and left nothing but silence between them.


	2. Chapter 2

Sabin boarded the falcon first, Gau held close and safe in his arms. When he reached the bridge, he was surprised to see that Terra and Celes had been waiting there. It seemed like they wanted to know what happened. Edgar was further away, looking over the railing. Terra approached Sabin first, the smile on her face fading as soon as she saw Gau in his arms and the expression on the brawler’s face.

“What happened…?” Terra asked softly. Edgar looked over as the two and approached slowly. Celes stayed behind Terra, choosing not to echo her question.

“The meeting with Gau’s father wasn’t what we expected….” Was the only answer Sabin gave as he moved past Terra and down the stairs, intent on putting Gau down to rest in one of the beds. 

Cyan followed behind, “Apologies, Sabin is not really in a talkative mood today. I will let thou know what transpired later...” He spoke, looking toward the other party members before heading down the stairs as well. Shadow trailed behind them, but hung back on the deck. Best not to make it look like he cared.

As soon as they made it to the sleeping quarters, Sabin laid Gau down on one of the bottom bunks and took a seat on the one across with a sigh. He sat in silence until Cyan entered the room. He sat at the foot of the bed Gau slept in and looked at him, his expression one of sympathy. He drew the blanket, which had rested around the boy’s chest, all the way up to his shoulders.

“He reminds you of your own child, doesn’t he?” Sabin broke the silence between them, his voice was not the harsh, rough voice he usually used but a tone that was a bit softer. He still hadn’t forgotten about the time when he had watched Cyan say goodbye to his wife and son.

“Indeed, very much so….” Cyan sighed, “Owain was alot like Sir Gau, always jumping about and exploring all the little nooks of the castle. I must admit that what happened to the child today affected me…” He didn’t take his eyes off Gau.

“It affected both of us…” Sabin said with a nod. After another moment of silence, Sabin decided to ask a question that’s been on his mind for a while, “What’s it like to be a father?”

Cyan looked to Sabin, his face illuminated in the darkness from the light spilling out of the doorway, his expression was a pained one, “It is the most rewarding thing I have experienced, watching mine own child grow up… teaching him… Owain was as dear to me as my lovely wife, Elayne…” He trailed of, covering his face with his hand.

The brawler realized he had opened up old wounds by asking that question, “I’m sorry… I just…” He looked from Cyan to Gau, “It’s like you said… He needs a father figure at least… I think maybe I could be…” He trailed off, looking down at his knees, “I need some time to think about this…” Sabin stood and almost left the room, but he hesitated, looking back at Gau.

“Go…” Cyan said, hints of tears still in his voice, “I’ll look after him.” Then, with a quick nod, Sabin left.

He decided that he wanted to go to the deck of the Falcon and get some fresh air. The airship was still parked in the same place it had been before, and Edgar was still up there, watching the sun set over the ocean.

“I knew I would find you out here.” Sabin greeted with a smile.

“What can I say? I’m truly a fan of watching the sunset.” Edgar replied, smiling back.

“You always have been...” He leaned over the railing, looking up at the sky. Sabin was silent for a few moments.

“Is something troubling you, brother?” Edgar could always tell. Sabin nodded, slowly.

“It’s about… what happened today with Gau. The man we believed to be his father... rejected him. We know it’s his father now, but he doesn’t want anything to do with the kid. I just wanted to…” Sabin clenched his left fist, “But it wouldn’t have changed anything.”

Edgar’s attention was fully on his brother now, instead of the sunset. “I see, that is rather… unfortunate news. There is no way to get him to change his mind?”

Sabin shook his head, “He tried to attack Gau… he… he called the kid a demon. He’s the one that put Gau on the Velt to begin with. He’s just a crazy old man. I… told Gau that he had a family with us instead. Maybe not all of us…” His thoughts instantly shift to Shadow, “But enough to matter.”

“Well… count me in with the group. Gau might be a filthy, rambunctious, kid but… I’ll admit... he’s starting to grow on me.” Edgar replied.

Sabin smiled at that, looking out at the ocean, “That’s not all… I…” He trailed off, smile wavering.

“You what?” Edgar prodded.

“I would like to be Gau’s father figure…” Sabin replied.

“What, you!?” The other responded incredulously, “Wouldn’t that be something better suited to Cyan?”  
“I can do it.” Was the brawler’s simple answer.

“Sabin, this isn’t like one of your training sessions, this isn’t a challenge that you have to surpass. Raising a child takes responsibility.”

“You think I don’t know that? In most situations, I know Gau can take care of himself, but he needs someone to look after him, teach him, and protect him when he can’t protect himself. Sure, Cyan would be more suited for this but…. I felt a connection to Gau, after what happened today. It made me realize that no matter how strong he is… he’s just a child. Please Edgar, would you just let me do this?”

After a moment, Edgar settled on a small nod, “You know… I never pictured you becoming a father before me.” He teased.

Sabin just laughed at that, then they were both silent for a little bit as the last bits of light sunk below the horizon.

“So… does that mean Gau is a Figaro now?” Edgar spoke.

“Only if you don’t mind, you are the King after all.”

Edgar chuckled, “I’m sure some people at the castle with have something to say about it… but… I don’t mind.”


End file.
